incapacity benefit

[wizard69]

how long do you have to be on incapacity benefit for before recieving disability allowance.
thanks in advance...

[bednobs]

do you mean disability living allowance? If so, i think they are completely indepentdant of each other, so you could apply for them both

[Kathyan]

You don't have to be claiming Incapacity Benefit to claim DLA. I get DLA but I wasn't in receipt of any other benefit at the time.

[THECORBYLOON]

Incapacity Benefit (IB) is a Benefit based upon National Insurance Contributions and other conditions that I'll not bore you wi. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is payable to those who require certain levels of help wi personal care and/or mobility.

Normally, the disabilty needs to have existed for three months and be likely to continue for a further six months before DLA is payable so that may be why you think you have to be on IB for a certain period.

[wizard69]

thanks guys. I might be getting a little confused here.
At the moment I am claiming single parent income support (for myself and my 11 yr old son)
However, I have recently started treatment under my doctor which he indicated might be for some time. The reason that I asked the question is becaue my partner (also a single parent) is due to move in with me which would mean that I would then have to claim either job seekers allowance or incapacity benefit. As i am unable to work at the present time it would have to be Incapacity, but I was under the impression that after a certain amount of time the benefit changed to a higher amount (disability)
If anyone could enlighten me further it would be appriciated, thanks

[wizard69]

corbyloon......we apear to have crossed posts,
thanks for that

[THECORBYLOON]

If you qualify for IB there are three rates, Short-Term (Lower) for the first 28 weeks, Short-Term (Higher) for the next 24 weeks and the Long-Term rate after 52 weeks.

[wizard69]

CORBY,
Thanks for your swift reply,
Do I need to continually supply 'sick notes' for the duration of my illness and how would I claim for my partner once she moves in with me (or would my incapacity be topped up with income support)?....It gets a bit more complicated as we would have two children to claim for as well...my son and my partners child.
From what Ive heard, its all a bit of a minefield to sort out,
thanks again.

[bigmamma]

When you are awarded incapacity benefit you will get income support , what amount the law says you need to live on , and then an amount on top of that for sickness. You will not automatically be given chance to apply for DLA , you have to do that yourself if you have a disability. It does get rather complicated but as long as you declare all your incomes the DWP will sort amounts due. Once you are on incapacity benefit they do not require sick notes as far as I am aware.

[THECORBYLOON]

I appreciate that folk are trying to be helpful but they are giving the wrong advice. I work for Jobcentre Plus and used to work on the section awarding IB.


It is not possible to go into all the ins and outs of yir possible entitlement since I don't know yir exact circumstances but I can tell you the basics.

No-one is automatically entitled to IB since it's based on National Insurance Contributions. If you�ve not worked for a few years it may be you won�t qualify for PAYMENT of IB but as long as you have a claim on the go, you can claim IS because you�re incapable of work.

If you qualify for IB you can claim for yir partner. You will need to supply medical certificates until we tell you otherwise.

Folk are entitled to IS only if their other benefits and savings don't exceed the level Parliament says they need to live on.

The best thing to do is 'phone yir local Jobcentre Plus office and ask to be put through to the Incapacity Benefit new claims section. They will go through the NI contribution rules and tell you if you are likely to qualify. (It's a lot easier to explain them over the 'phone than it is to write them on here.)

[THECORBYLOON]

Forgot to say, tell the IS section yir partner will be moving in because that will affect both yir claim and hers if she gets IS as a single parent. They will tell you what rate you will qualify for on IS then. You can put in the claim for IB in the meantime to get the ball rolling.

[wizard69]

CORBY....I thank you very much for your help.
but just one last question, should I apply now and start to submit medical certificates (as im effectivly unfit to work) or should I wait until my partner moves in?
And would it make any difference (financially or otherwise)?
(there are no savings involved).

[THECORBYLOON]

Find out if you will qualify for payment of IB. a single person gets �61.35 a week. Income Support for a single person over 25 is �59.15 but do you get a Family Premium on top? If the IB is awarded and it's less than the IS, you'll see no change in the total amount of benefit you get. If it's more, yir IS will stop as will any Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit if it's paid because you receive IS at the moment.

That's why I suggest you 'phone to find out if you wil get paid IB.

[bednobs]

or if you have a local welfare rights office, they will also help you sort it all out ( look in the phone book). No disrespect to tcl, but sometimes its easier to speak with someone face to face rather than over the telephone. Sometimes getting through to jcp is quite trying!

[bigmamma]

Sorry wizard love , my answer wasnt intended to mislead.I was on IB for years before applying for DLA .
THE CORBYLOON is the person to listen to here as they have first hand knowledge of these matters :-) x